1. Technical Field
Various embodiments relate to semi-structural polycarbonate panel assemblies for vehicles.
2. Background
Polycarbonate panel assemblies are becoming extremely advantageous in various fields of endeavor, such as in the automotive vehicle field, because polycarbonate glazing has a relatively low weight compared to glass. Replacing glass with polycarbonate glazing, however, often requires either using a substantially thicker piece of polycarbonate or applying a stiffener to the polycarbonate to reach an equivalent stiffness to that of the glass panel it is replacing. The stiffener can be applied to the polycarbonate panel in a two shot molding process. This process, however, requires expensive tooling and specialized molding machines.